Say Anything Blog

When did we stop torturing?

inflicting moderate or fleeting pain does not necessarily constitute torture. Torture, the memo says, “must be equivalent in intensity to the pain accompanying serious physical injury, such as organ failure, impairment of bodily function, or even death.”

Woe unto you if Al Za Wartzis Name misdials your phone number.

The President is right. We don’t torture. Or, at least, what we do to terror detainees wouldn’t meet a reasonable person’s definition of torture. Unfortunately for the President, and for America, the President’s domestic political enemies aren’t reasonable people.

Given what you say is true then why are the majority of Republican senators in favour of McCain’s amendment? Obviously they’re not the President’s political enemies so do you think they’re pandering to popular opinion?

Regardless, the fact of the matter is that torturing prisoners is not something our government sanctions.

Unless you’re in the CIA.

Those poor CIA guys...criticised by conservatives as anti-Bush and now Cheney wants to torture them.

It’s not like I expect any kind of intellectual honesty from you, Rob, this this kind of “Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia” bullshit is beyond the pale, even for you.

The Pentagon disclosed the results of internal investigations, you’ve seen hundreds of accounts and thousands of pictures of torture on the ‘net---but your Divine and Glorious Boy-King says “We do not torture” and POOF!---it all just goes away.

Ignorance is one thing---I expect you to be ignorant because you get your news direct from GOP shills who are lying to you and playing you for a chump. But ignorance can be cured by education.

This is delusional. This is self-deception. This is willful, purposeful stupidity---and there is no excuse for it.

It’s not like I expect any kind of intellectual honesty from you, Rob, this this kind of “Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia” bullshit is beyond the pale, even for you.

Insult. Insult.

The Pentagon disclosed the results of internal investigations, you’ve seen hundreds of accounts and thousands of pictures of torture on the ‘net—but your Divine and Glorious Boy-King says “We do not torture” and POOF!—it all just goes away.

Delusion based upon a redefinition of the word “torture”. Insult.

Ignorance is one thing—I expect you to be ignorant because you get your news direct from GOP shills who are lying to you and playing you for a chump. But ignorance can be cured by education.

Insult. Insult.

This is delusional. This is self-deception. This is willful, purposeful stupidity—and there is no excuse for it.

Insult. Insult. Insult.

Given what you say is true then why are the majority of Republican senators in favour of McCain’s amendment?

Because they’re not looking at the long run.  They’re more interested in the short-term gain from getting behind some feel-good, knee-jerk pandering legislation that will soften their image as “hawks.”

I wasn’t implying that everyone who supports the legislation are the President’s enemies.  Rather, just the people who imply that the sort of thing that goes on down in Gitmo is “torture.”

Unless you’re in the CIA.

You’re totally missing the point.  Cheney isn’t asking for permission for the CIA to torture, they’re asking that the CIA not be tied to silly definitions of what torture is and is not so that a bunch of legislators back in Washington can feel good about themselves.

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.

-- Thomas Jefferson

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What everyone, and I mean everyone, seems to be missing here is that, by arguing that the CIA should be exempt from a torture ban Cheney is, in essence, saying that the CIA is already doing it.  Another point no one is talking about is that, as we already know, it doesn’t matter what the law is, the administration is going to do what they want to do anyway; the words “we don’t torture” are just window dressing.

by arguing that the CIA should be exempt from a torture ban Cheney is, in essence, saying that the CIA is already doing it.

That is my take.

the words “we don’t torture” are just window dressing.

Yup.